Sylvania



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT lV. SCOTT AND LOUIS N. D. VILLIAMS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA.

STOCKING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,592, dated November 3, 1891.

Application filed June 29, 1889. Serial No. 316,077. (No model.) i

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be itknown that we, ROBERT W. SCOTT and LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, both citizens of the lnited States, and residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Stockings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to so knit a stocking that it will be full-fashioned-that is to say, properly shaped throughout--but can be more cheaply and readily produced than an ordinary full-fashioned stocking; and this object we attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figures l and 2 are diagrams showing successiveV stages in the production of a knitted stocking in accordance with our invention. Figs. 3 and a are diagrams serving to illustrate the method of producing the improved stocking, and Figs. 5 to 7 are diagrams illustrating modified forms of stocking in accordance with our invention.

In the drawings the wales of stitches are :represented by plain lines, the views being on too small a scale to warrant the illustration of the stitches of which the wales are composed.

In carrying out our invention Afor the production of the stocking shown in Figs. l and 2, we, by preference, rst form the leg portion of the stocking with properly-shaped heel thereon, and then knit to this leg p ortion a foot portion in the manner which we will now proceed to describe. In making the leg We use by preference a machine having opposite rows of needles A and B, as represented by the parallel lines in Fig. 3, and we preferably start the leg at the bottom of the heel by forming an initial course in rib-stitch upon the needles of both rows throughout the length desired for the bottom of the heel, the thread being applied first to a needle of the head A and then to a needle of the opposite head I3. During the knitting the thread is then traversed or carried from the needle at the point t on the row A to the needle at the point 1/ of the same, thence across to the needle at the point y of the row B, thence to the needle at the point of the same, thence back to the needle at the point y, thence across to the needle at the point vy of the row A, and thencel to the needle at the point ai of the same, and so on until the desired length of fabric for the heel is produced, additional needles being thrown into action successivel y adjacent to the points y on both heads .at the beginning ofthe operation, so as to gradually widen the web, say, to about the point n', Fig. 3, after which the knitting is continued upon the needles then in action until the desired length of heel has been produced. The effect of this operation is to produce a bag or pocket- D with seamless bottom, selvaged frontedges c o, and tapered or rounded lower corner b, as shown in Fig. l. The needles in each row from @c to y are now thrown into action and continuous courses of stitches are produced, first upon the needles of one row and then upon the needles of the other row, these webs being connected at the ends and being of a width equal to the distance from fr to w in Fig. 3-that is to say, of a width necessary for the ankle portion F of the stocking to be produced.

A rib course is by preference produced upon the needles of both rows in commencing to knit the ankle portion of the stocking, say, at the line l, Fig. 2, so as to insure the proper formation of stitches in the first ankle course, this rib course being removed prior to applying the ankle stitches to another machine for 'forming the foot, as hereinafter set forth.

After the desired length of tubular seamless ankle portion has been knitted, the needles of each rowbeyond the needles@` are successively thrown into action, so as to gradually widen the knitted tube and forni the calf portion G ot the stocking, this wideningbeing continued until the needles, say, up to the point n, are in action and the tube is of the proper size for the calf portion of the leg, the tube being knitted ot this size up to the top of the leg. The leg being removed from the machine on which it was produced, the loops around the edges d d of the front halt of the ankle portion ot the leg-tube areapplicd tothe needles of one-halt' of a separate machinedfor instance, to the needles on the bed A of themachine shown in Fig. I-the selvaged edges a c of the heel-pocket bein applied to the needles IOO of the opposite head B of the machine andA The production of t-he tube for the body of the foot of the stocking is then proceeded with upon this second machine, the upper half or instep portion of the tube being thus united by al seamless union to the lower edge of the front half of the ankle portion of the leg-tube, while the under half of the tube constituting the body of the foot is knitted onto the selvaged edges of the heel-pocket D.

Upon commencing toform the foot-tube, the latter is preferably narrowed by dropping a number of wales at each end of the machinesay from m to m and ot to n', Fig. l-thus forming narrowings on each side of the foot, as at p, Fig. 2, so that the foot portion of the stocking is Widest at the commencement or instep portion of the same, and is gradually narrowed untilit is of the proper diameter for the body of the foot.

The tube-for the foot is knitted to the desired length for the body of the foot, and a toe-pocket is then formed upon the foot by throwing out of action the needles of the rowv Y ued until Ythe desired point has been reached,

say up to the points s, Fig. 4, whereupon the end needles are successively brought into action again, and the web is widened until the original needles-say out to the points m 91'-- are again in action. The result of this operation is to form upon the bottom of the foottube, at the front end of the same, a toe-pocket or bulge J, so that the toe can be completed by simply looping together the upper edges i z' of this toe-pocket and the front edges t" il of the upper half of the foot-tube.

The foot of the stocking may be commenced at the toe by first forming the toe-pocket or bulge, by successively narrowing and widening the web in the manner above set forth, and then proceeding with the. formation of the tubular seamless body of the foot, and widening the latter by introducing extra Wales as it approaches the instep portion, the loops around the instep portion of the bodytube being then applied to the needles of a separatemaohine, upon a portion of which a heel-pocket has already been produced, as heretofore described, preparatory to proceedling with the formation of the seamless tube for the leg of the stocking, the rear edge of the sole portion of the foot being subsequently secured to the selvage front edges of the heel-pocket; or the foot may be formed by rst starting a rib course upon a number of needles wide enough for the tip of the toe and then proceeding to form tubular fabric for the foot, widening at the commencement of the operation to shape the toe,.and at the finish to form the instep-gusset, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 5, the rear end of the foot-tube being united to the ankle portion of the stocking and selvage edges of theheelpocket in the manner last described, or the foot may be made in a way the reverse of this by first making the leg-tube and heel-pocket in the manner first described herein, then starting the foot-tube at the instep. and narrowing the tubular web by dropping wales therefrom at the instep portion and at the toe, the contracted opening at the toe end of the tube being looped together by a seam t extending across the toe, as set forth in a separate application tiled by us, Serial No. 314,988. The foot of the stocking need not, however, necessarily be in the form of a seamless tube, as a flat web may be formed upon the needles carrying the front half of the legtube, this flat web'being shaped midway .of its length by first narrowing it and then widening it, as shown in Fig. 6, for instance, or provided with a bulge at that point, as shown in Fig. 7, and in the manner hereinbefore referred to in describing the forniationof pockets or bulges, so that when the web is folded it will form a properly-shaped toe, the folded strip being seamed along the -sides to form the foot-tube, and the outer ends of the strip being widened, as shown, so as to form the desired widening-gussets at the instep portion of the stocking, and being secured tothe selvaged front edges of the heel; or either single or double fiat webs, narrowed at the toe and instep, as shown in Fig. 5, and seamed along the meeting edges and to the selvaged front edges of the heel, may be employed inthe formation of the foot, a single web meaning one of double the length of the footpiojecting from the instep portion of the-stocking, as shown in Fig. 6, and a double web meaning two webs, each of the length of the foot, one projecting from the instep portion of the stocking and the other from the front edges of the heelpocket. Neither is it necessary to our invention that the loops at the instep portion ofthe legsliallbeapplied tothe needlesof thefootingmachine, as theloops at the instep ends of the independently-produced leg and foot tubes may be united by means of a sewing or looping machine of such character as to forma practically seamless union of the two parts, the lower portion of the foot-tube being united to the selvaged front edges of the heel, or in some cases the heel portion maybe rst knitted in the form of a tube and then slitted verticallyin front, so as to form edges for being united to the rear edges of the lower half of the foot-tube by sewing or knitting, as before set forth.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. A stocking having a seamless tubular leg IOO IIO

IIS

and a seamless heehpocket integral therewith and shaped at the rear corner by reason of the varying length ot the courses o' stitches at and near thebottom of the heel and having selvaged front edges, and a foot the body ot which is united to the instep portion of the ankle and to the selvaged front edges of the heel-pocket, substantially as specified.

2. A stoekinghaving a seamlessheel shaped at the rear corner by reason of the varying length of the courses of stitches at and near the bottom of the heel, a leg-,tube integral with said heel, and a foot the body of which is united to the instep portion ot' the leg-tube and to the front edges of the heel, substantially as specified.

A stocking havingl a seamless heel with selvaged front edges, a legvtube integral with said heel, and a foot the body of which is united to the instep portion ot' the leg-tube and to the selvaged trout edges of theheel, substantially as specified.

4. Astockinghavingaseamless heelshaped at the lower corner by reason of the varying length of the courses of stitches at and near the bottoni of the heel and having selvaged front edges, a leg-tube integral with said heel, and a foot the body of which is united to the instep portion of the leg and to the selvaged front edges of the heel, substantially as specitied.

5. A stocking havinga seamless tubular leg,

a seamless heel integral therewith and having selvaged front edges, and a toot the body of which consists of a seamless tube united to the instep portion of the leg and to the selvaged front edges of the heel-pocket, substantially as speciied.

G. .A stocking having` a seamless tubular leg, a seamless heelpoeket with shaped rear oorner by reason of the Varying length of the courses of stitches at and near the bottom of the heel, and a foot the body ol4 which oonsists of a seamless tube united to the instep portion of the leg` and to the front edges of the heel-pocket, substantially as specified.

'7. A stocking having a seamless heel with selvaged front edges and shaped rear corner by reason of the varying length of the courses of stitches at and near the bottom of the heel, a leg-tube integral with said heel, and a foot the body of which is shaped to forni the toe and is united at the inner end to the instep portion of the leg of the stocking and to the selvaged front edges of the heel, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence ot' two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT W. SCOTT. LOUIS N. D. W'ILTAMS.

1Witnesses:

WILLiAM D. CoNNnn, HARRY SMITH. 

